Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Jaguar:

Ever since Verity had gone to work, I had been seriously anxious.

I didn’t know why, but every time I played that video, all I wanted to do was find Roman and kill him.

Mrs. Baker was doing her job very well, and so was her son-in-law.

She had sent me the video of Roman physically abusing Verity, and at that moment, it finally clicked.

No.

I didn’t want to leave Verity on her own.

She was too innocent for this world, too pure, and too honest.

But somewhere deep down, I also felt she was terribly lonely.

I was furious.

That night was a full moon, and I knew Verity would be struggling, dealing with my brother.

I desperately wanted to call her, but I didn’t want my name to appear on her phone and give her brother a reason to question her.

I had become terrified for Verity’s reputation.

More terrified than I had ever been before.

Gigi had asked me to join her on Theodore’s balcony for tea, but I had refused.

I just couldn’t force anything down my throat.

That night, I decided to drink.

I arrived home with Theodore, who was practically passing out by that point.

He was so tipsy that I had to carry him over my shoulder when we got inside.

Then I dropped him onto his bed and walked to my own room.

Even though I wanted to drink, I couldn’t bring myself to swallow much.

My mind was reeling with thoughts.

I couldn’t stop worrying about Verity and wondering how she was doing.

If only I could take matters into my own hands and attack Roman.

But what if Verity got upset with me?

I had to speak with her first because victims of domestic abuse usually need comfort before anyone takes action.

While I stood on my balcony, watching the sun rise, something caught my attention.

I looked down and noticed a car speeding away.

Someone was sneaking inside.

She was wearing a very short dress that barely covered her.

She tugged the hem down while holding her high heels in one hand.

She was carrying something in the other hand.

A mask, maybe.

I couldn’t really tell.

She tiptoed inside, looking around cautiously.

It was Jenna.

Why the fuck was Jenna out until this hour?

And who had she been with?

Who had dropped her off?

It wasn’t as though I knew nothing about Jenna.

She was my grandmother’s favorite person.

My grandmother always took great care of her and treated her like family.

So seeing Jenna sneak home in a dress like that didn’t sit well with me.

As far as I could tell, Lady Lucille, my grandmother, and Jenna’s parents were completely unaware of what was going on.

Still, just to be sure, I walked downstairs.

I saw Jenna run into the guest wing.

She didn’t see me, but I saw her.

At first, I thought about confronting her.

Then I told myself she was old enough to make her own choices.

But what if she was making a mistake?

She was still young and had never really been out much.

So I decided to speak to the person closest to Jenna.

”I’m telling you, Gigi, I saw her come home late at night, holding her sandals in her hands,” I told her.

Gigi looked genuinely shocked.

And almost disappointed.

”Okay, don’t get angry if I tell you something,” Gigi said, immediately straightening up in her seat.

This time, she was sitting on my balcony.

I had called her the minute I woke up.

I guessed Jenna was still sleeping because I hadn’t seen her anywhere.

She was usually awake early in the morning, preparing breakfast for our grandmother.

But this time, she hadn’t done it.

And she definitely hadn’t because she had been out all night.

”Please promise me first,” Gigi pleaded.

”Gigi,” I sighed, ”I’ll never get angry at you.”

But the way she was already shaking told me it was something serious.

”I don’t think Jenna is who you all think she is,” she mumbled, quickly covering her mouth with both hands as if to stop herself from saying any more.

”No, keep talking,” I urged.

”Well, you see, she’s twenty-three years old. Of course, she isn’t naive or stupid. She lives a life where an old lady is constantly trying to control her. Please don’t mind my language.”

She apologized immediately.

But she wasn’t wrong.

Lady Lucille was controlling.

”What I’m trying to say is, the other day when Jenna was drinking, I realized it wasn’t her first time. She’s been putting on a mask to please Lady Lucille, but at the same time, she wants to live her own life. She seems quite experienced.”

Gigi suddenly cupped her cheeks, looking deeply ashamed.

”In fact, yesterday—”

”Gigi, tell me,” I prompted, reaching for the back of her hand.

The moment I touched it, it felt warm.

”Are you okay?” I asked, immediately moving to the couch beside hers.

”It’s just that yesterday I played a prank on her. I told her Theodore goes to this masquerade party and that we should go too. She got dressed up, and then I told her it was just a joke.”

What Gigi was saying matched what I had seen the previous night.

What she said next was the last thing I expected to hear about Jenna.

”Then Jenna told me it wasn’t a prank. She knows a place where those kinds of parties happen. It’s a masquerade role-play party.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Jenna belonged to our family.

Even if not by blood, she carried our family’s name.

”Gigi, tell me. What else do you know?” I pressed.

”Well—she convinced me to go with her.” she pouted.

”I went there, and immediately I started feeling uneasy. There were so many men looking me up and down like they’d never seen a woman like me walk into their party.”

As Gigi said that, I slapped my forehead.

”Of course, Gigi. They’ve never seen anyone like you. You’re royalty. You even smell like royalty.”

I don’t know why I said that, but she looked at me with one eyebrow raised.